


When Winter Break Strikes Back

by Tassi_Ki



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-19
Updated: 2016-10-15
Packaged: 2018-04-10 02:02:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4372913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tassi_Ki/pseuds/Tassi_Ki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny was NOT looking forward to winter break. No, scratch that, she was utterly loathing the thought of winter break at the moment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Perhaps Night Walks Are Not The Best Idea

 

**  
**

** Danny **

Danny was NOT looking forward to winter break. No, scratch that, she was utterly _loathing_ the thought of winter break at the moment. Being an orphan meant she had no place to go home to over breaks and in the summer, and being over 18 meant that she was officially out of the foster system, or in more blatant terms, homeless. By now, all of the Summer Society girls had packed up their things and headed home, leaving the Summer Soc. Lodge painfully empty, and she could see droves of other students heading to the campus busses and called in taxies.

Sighing softly, she ran a hand through her hair and trudged her way towards dorm 307, her heart sinking further with each step. The other reason she was loathing winter break this time around, was she had made a few very close friends, all of whom were heading home today. Perry and LaF were going to Perry’s house for Hanukah and then to LaF’s for Christmas, as was their yearly tradition, and Laura…bubbly, oblivious Laura was heading home to her father’s house.

This left her with only Carmilla for company over break…which wasn’t going to go well at all. She didn’t quite know when it happened, but her feelings for Laura had changed to more of a sibling like stance. She loved the bubbly girl dearly, but it was no longer the way she had when she first met her. Her feelings instead shifted their focus to the broody, mysterious roommate who she used to swear up and down was trying to steal Laura from her.  Said broody roommate surprisingly did not steal Laura from her, but instead latched onto the bubbly blond in much the same way Danny had in the end, as a good friend and sibling. Laura on the other hand, was now happily dating a slightly younger girl who had just started at Silas a few months ago, a shy athlete by the name of Marcy.  Both she and Carmilla were ecstatic for Laura…well, Carmilla was less broody then usual when the announcement had been made.

Once Laura had settled into couple life with her girlfriend, she’d turned her attention back onto her friends, wanting to solidify those bonds as well, which meant a lot of time hanging out with Laura…and Carmilla. At first, it went horribly wrong at every turn, with the broody vampire spouting insults at every chance she got, and her retaliating with as much venom as she could, until Laura stepped in. After a serious talking to, and an ‘angry’ pout from Laura, she and Carmilla had _reluctantly_ formed a truce, holding back any insults and such when around Laura to please the girl they both thought of as an adorable little sister. And that was when her feelings had started to change towards Carmilla, or at least when she noticed the change.

When she wasn’t spouting insults and trying to brawl with the broody vampire, she got to see a different side of the woman all together. A side that quite honestly had her falling head over heels for the vampire. The compassion hidden in those dark eyes, the subtle changes in her tone when she worried over Laura, the hidden smile that she wore when she thought no one was looking, or how passionate she got when talking about philosophy and astronomy. And then as soon as Laura was gone, Carmilla slammed closed like a steel trap and it was back to biting insults and unreadable expressions. All in all, Carmilla was a reluctant acquaintance at best, and hated her guts but tolerated her for Laura at worst….which was more likely.

Shaking her head, Danny snapped out of her thoughts and knocked on Laura’s door, walking into the room once she heard Laura’s muffled shout of ‘Come in!’. Blinking, she took the messy sight before her in. Two suitcases lay in the corner by the door, fully packed and ready to go. The rest of the room however, looked as if a tornado had blown through, and Laura was in the middle of it, trying to put it all back into the tiny wardrobe. Carmilla was off to the side on her bed, currently hiding behind a large, and rather ancient looking book, but by the way her shoulders were shaking lightly, the book was probably just to hide her laughter, because god forbid the broody vampire actually show emotion openly.

“Laura…what on earth happened…?” She finally asked as she looked towards the tiny blonde.

“I needed to pack…but the stuff I wanted was at the bottom of the drawer…” Laura mumbled, her cheeks now a dark red as she stuffed the last of the clothing back into the drawer and slammed it shut. “A-anyway, thank you for coming to see me off and volunteering to help with my luggage Danny. I would have gotten Carm to help, but apparently she hates snow…” The girl said with a rather flat look before moving to hug the vampire goodbye. Once all the goodbyes were said, Danny hefted Laura’s luggage up and followed the tiny blonde out into the snow towards one of the cabs, inwardly wincing as Laura threw a ‘Behave yourselves, you two!’ over her shoulder before the dorm door closed so Carmilla could hear it as well. Once Laura was bundled into the cab and gone, Danny’s shoulders slumped.

Trudging back to the now empty Summer Soc. Lodge, she took one last look around the empty campus, a frown marring her features. “Another holiday alone, and this one will hurt more now that you actually have close friends Lawrence, fantastic…” She mumbled to herself before slipping into the lodge and settling down by the fireplace.

 

 

** Carmilla **

****

Carmilla let out a soft sigh as the dorm door shut, her shoulders slumping slightly. Life had never been so complicated, even when she was first turned. In the last year, her life had turned upside-down so many times it left her head spinning. First she’d found a human that she’d grown to see as a sibling, then her Mother had threatened to kill the first person she willingly considered family in a very long time, then there was that whole killing her Mother stint, along with the frustratingly annoying redheaded giant carrying her out of the pit in a…dare she say, loving manner…? Once things seemingly got back to normal, including bickering with Gingersnap, Laura had snapped at them both for the constant bickering, and gotten them to agree to a truce. And that’s when things got weird.

Once she stopped constantly insulting the Gingersnap, and getting insults in return, she was forced to see the tall woman for what she really was, a rather giant sized puppy. And, while normally she hated dogs of any kind, Gingersnap had slowly gotten to her. The overwhelming loyalty, a smile that could light up the darkest of places, boundless energy, rather infectious glee, and the way she got passionate about literature and hunting. But what got to her the most was what was hidden deep in the redhead’s gaze, a startling, soul-deep loneliness. Loneliness she could not, for the un-life of her, seem to figure out. The Gingersnap had close friends in their group, the whole summer society as friends and family, and a family of her own, so what could that loneliness be from…?

Well, it didn’t matter now. Laura, Perry, LaFontaine, and Danny were all headed home for the holidays, and she would once again be alone at the school to wait until it started back up again. Maybe she would go out hunting later to sate her boredom and loneliness. Contrary to what Laura thought, she didn’t hate the snow, she loved it. She had just made an excuse to stay behind so she wouldn’t have to watch her little sister, and that infuriatingly confusing redhead drive away….and so they wouldn’t see her expression shatter as they left. Yes, a hunt sounded like a perfect way to clear her head, right after a long nap.

 

 

** Danny **

****

Danny jolted awake in the recliner by the fire, her heart racing as one hand clutched the flannel fabric above her heart. Somehow she’d fallen asleep in the recliner by the fire, and the crackling of the logs during her sleep had induced a rather terrifying nightmare. Glancing at the wall above the mantle, her heart nearly stopped from surprise, she’d slept through the night and on into the late afternoon. Apparently she’d been working herself far too hard the past few days while trying to forget her friends were leaving. Shaking her head, she got up and headed to her room to change into something warmer, thinking that maybe a walk through the woods would help her calm back down after the nightmare that had woken her. It was one she hadn’t had in quite a while, not since her first year at Silas.

Once changed, she headed out into the cold, glancing towards the sky to see the sun was already setting. Making her way into the woods, her mind traveled back to the vivid nightmare. It was of the one family that had almost adopted her, and how it had all ended horribly. She had been in a foster home with one other girl, Wendy, and the foster parents had decided they wanted to adopt one of the two girls and settle down, while the other would be sent back into the foster system. Danny had all but given up on being adopted by this point, and had thought Wendy would be the one to get the papers, but the young couple had taken a liking to her, and she had been surprised, on her birthday no less, with the option of staying with them. Little Wendy didn’t like that one bit, and later that week had set fire to the couple’s house, but not before planting all the blame, and evidence, on Danny. The devious child had cried out for Danny, and when she’d come running to help, stuck the gas can in her hands, as well as the matches, before wailing for their foster parents, and making it look as if she’d been trying to stop Danny. By that point, the fire had been raging and fueled beyond belief, and the whole foster family had gotten stuck in the house. It had taken rescue workers twenty minutes to rescue them, and by that point the husband had been badly burnt trying to protect them all, and the rest of them, Danny included, were sick from smoke inhalation. Danny had been sent right back into foster care, while Wendy had been adopted by the couple. She’d never been quite the same after that experience, and only in the past few years had the nightmares about the fire slowly creeping towards her gone away. Apparently, falling asleep next to a fire place while feeling particularly upset was a good way to bring them back.

Shuddering, she put her hands into the pockets of her blue coat and trudged on through the snow, not noticing the dark figure slowly stalking towards her from the side. Slowing to the stop at the base of her favorite tree, she let out a soft sigh, looking up into the mess of thick branches at the small patches of night sky, one hand slipping out of her coat to run through her hair. An instant later something large crashed into her side and her world exploded with pain, red splattering over the fresh snow as a shrill, bloodcurdling scream echoed through the darkening forest.  


	2. A Fight For Life And Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sighing in frustration, Carmilla took off once more, landing in a separate part of the forest, in a place she usually never hunted. “This is it…if I don’t find anything this time, I’m going to the gods-be-damned blood bank on campus.” She growled out, settling on a branch a ways up the nearest tree before extending her senses once more. She prayed for a deer, she really did. Instead, she got a nose full of wet dog smell that left her gagging for a few moments before her blood froze in recognition. Werewolf.

 

 

 

 

** Carmilla **

Carmilla stretched languidly as she awoke from her slumber. Contrary to popular belief, she did not nap like a cat, she napped like a college student running on no sleep for a week. It was already well into the next day, and judging by the light, it would soon be dusk. Grumbling softly, she pulled herself up from her bed and made her way to the shared wardrobe of room 307. Throwing open the doors at the top, she riffled around in the closet portion for her favorite flannel, tossing it onto the bed, followed by a change of leather pants, under garments, and a slightly less provocative top. While the cold never really did anything harmful to her already dead body, it took hours for her skin to go back to normal after being exposed to the harsh cold. First it turned blue, then a bit black, and once she stepped into the shower to thaw out, she went bright as a fucking cooked lobster for a good thirty minutes to an hour, depending on how long she’d been out in the cold. It was annoying as hell, and the one time Gingersnap had seen her, she’d been laughed at for days. Shaking her head, she slipped on the warmer clothing, knowing that it would be just enough to keep her undead body from mirroring human frostbite.

Once dressed, she slipped out of the dorm and towards the woods, inhaling deeply to take in the scents of the forest. To the left, the scent of a boar, as well as the sound of cloven hooves on snow reached her. Her nose quickly wrinkled in disgust. There was no way in hell she was going to drain one of those nasty things. Taking off deeper into the forest, she once again extended her senses, hoping to find a deer or some smaller game, like a rabbit.

This kept up for a good two hours, finding two more boars, and one pregnant doe that she refused to kill. Sighing in frustration, Carmilla took off once more, landing in a separate part of the forest, in a place she usually never hunted. “This is it…if I don’t find anything this time, I’m going to the gods-be-damned blood bank on campus.” She growled out, settling on a branch a ways up the nearest tree before extending her senses once more. She prayed for a deer, she really did. Instead, she got a nose full of wet dog smell that left her gagging for a few moments before her blood froze in recognition. Werewolf. She hadn’t smelled that disgusting stench in ages, not while her Mother ran the school. Her Mother had utterly loathed the beasts, and from the few encounters she’d had with them over her many lifetimes, she had grown to dislike them as well. This wolf though…there was something off about its scent, something…sour. Wracking her brain for an idea as to what the sour note was, she casually began scanning the forest floor, looking for tracks to point out where the beast was. While she wouldn’t outright kill the thing, as she’d heard stories and read tomes about some werewolves being kind and generous people, she would definitely drive it from her territory, it had no right to roam the grounds she claimed as hers. Suddenly, she remembered why the sour smell had seemed so familiar to her, dread pooling in the pit of her stomach. The last time she’d smelled it, was when she’d found a rabid bear.

Carmilla nearly fell off the branch she’d been perched on when a shrill scream split the evening air, her eyes wide with shock and concern as the scent of blood hit her nose like a freight train, followed by recognition at WHO that blood belonged to. “DANNY!!!”

She was off like a bullet, the branch she’d been crouched on snapping like a twig from the force of her take off. Racing through the dense underbrush at speeds she’d never dared to use in such tight quarters before, she followed the scent of Danny’s blood, panic racing through her like tendrils of fire. Reaching the scene, she didn’t slow down at all, barreling straight into the hulking beast standing over her Danny and ripping the mutt off of the woman by the scruff, tossing it aside before shifting mid leap into her large black panther form.

Staring down the beast that was stumbling to its feet, she swallowed hard, taking in the sight of the froth covering its huge maw, and its red tinged golden eyes. There was no human left in this monster, the wolf had taken over completely, and that had slowly driven it mad.

While she admittedly rather hated the species, she’d been intrigued by them, and studied them for a full ninety years, wanting to know what made them tick….and how to kill them easily should the need arise. When newly bitten, a werewolf has two distinct sides, human and wolf. As the years go by, both sides try to gain dominance. There were some cases where the human won the battle and became a shifter, but lost all natural instinct and control over their wolf body. They wound up stumbling around like newborn pups until they re-learned how to control their other body. In other cases, the wolf won the battle, and all sense of humanity was lost. These wolves never again wore a human body, and were slowly driven insane with bloodlust, mirroring that of a rabid animal. There were a few cases where human and wolf were locked in battle till death, which left them weak and rather mindless during the full moon. In the rarest of cases, wolf and human found harmony, coexisting and helping each other, or merging to form a new consciousness in control of two forms. This was both the best and worst outcome, depending on the human’s nature before being turned. A murdering psychopath would be ten times harder to kill, have a nearly insatiable bloodlust, and the ability to turn others to form bloodthirsty packs. A kind, brave person, would have more tools at their disposal in helping others, loyalty like none other, and a drive to protect those they deemed pack. The wolf before her had lost its humanity, and judging by the amount of froth…quite a while ago.

 

 

** Danny **

****

Danny bit back a second scream as she felt sharp fangs sink into her shoulder, lights dancing across her vision from the pain as she scrambled to keep the beast on top of her from tearing out her throat. Suddenly the beast above her stilled for a moment, ears perking up as a second scream echoed through the forest. One raw and filled to the brim with panic…and was that her name…? The scream was followed by a resounding crack that seemed to snap the beast out of its daze, much to her horror. It once again began to tear at her arms, its claws ripping into her thighs slightly as the beast clamped down on her left arm and shook its head. She could feel herself slipping, her limbs growing heavy and sluggish from blood loss and shock as her vision slowly faded. As the beast let go of her arm to get a new grip, something slammed into it, knocking it away as she felt her arms go limp against the snow.

Turning her head slightly, she focused her rapidly fading vision on her savior, her heart skipping a beat as she caught sight of a very familiar form. “C….Carm…” She wheezed out, wincing as fire began to race through her veins, her vision blurring even more as hot tears of pain and relief streaked down her cheeks. She forced herself to stay awake, using the burning in her veins to keep her mind sharp as she laid witness to her secretly beloved panther clashing with the rabid beast that attacked her. The battle barely took more than a few minutes as mindless beast took on a three hundred and thirty five year old vampire, ending with what seemed like mercy kill bite to the neck to her blurry vision.

She didn’t even remember closing her eyes, but when she opened them once more, Carmilla was hovering over her, an expression of pure agony and worry marring her beautiful features as her lips moved. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she tried to make sense of what was going on, her mind fuzzy from the pain and blood loss. Finally the ringing in her ears died down, and Carmilla’s voice faded into existence, sounding muffled and slightly distorted.

“Gingersnap, don’t you dare close your eyes again…you hear me…?! Just hold on a bit longer, ok? Let me get your wounds covered tightly and I’ll get you to the hospital.” Came her crush’s panicked voice, making her heart stutter slightly. She’d never heard Carmilla’s voice filled with so much emotion, nor seen the woman so easy to read and unguarded. It strangely made her want to growl softly and wrap the woman up in a warm hug.

“Y…you’re…leakin…emotions…like a water balloon full of holes…Karnstien…” She wheezed out softly, her lips twisting into a pained grin as she watched the vampire’s expression turn to exasperation.

 

 

** Carmilla **

****

Carmilla finished the beast off quickly, putting it out of its misery before shifting back and racing to Danny, her chest clenching painfully at the sight of her infuriatingly confusing redhead lying motionless in the snow, blood slowly pooling beneath her and staining her sky blue coat a deep red. Dropping to her knees, she began strip Danny out of the coat, and one of the flannels she was wearing, taking off her own flannel as well, and using them to tightly bandage the redhead’s arms and shoulder.

“Come on Gingersnap, wake up, please wake up!! Don’t you dare go dying on me…! Laura would never get over this! She’d be heartbroken to lose her giant ginger of a sister…!” She babbled as she continued to try and stop the bleeding, a slight bit of relief flowing through her as she saw the ginger’s eyes had fluttered open during her speech.

“Gingersnap, don’t you dare close your eyes again…you hear me…?! Just hold on a bit longer, ok? Let me get your wounds covered tightly and I’ll get you to the hospital.” She said, her voice trembling slightly as she pulled one of the makeshift bandages tighter, tying it shut once she was sure the bleeding had slowed.

“Y…you’re…leakin…emotions…like a water balloon full of holes…Karnstien…” The bleeding woman before her answered, her voice rasping and thick with pain as a grin spread across her bloody lips.

Carmilla’s eye twitched, a laugh bubbling up in the back of her throat as she stared down at Danny for a moment. Leave it to Red to break the tension with a sarcastic jab at the vampire. “You stupid…idiotic…UHHG! What on earth possessed you to walk alone in the woods at night, at Silas of all places…? The known epicenter of supernatural shit hitting the fan daily??” She hissed out as she tugged the last makeshift bandage tight, ignoring the groan of pain. “C-come on, let’s get you to the hospital Red…” She muttered as she tried to wipe her face clean of emotions once more, only half succeeding as she picked up Danny and took off towards the nearest town.

 

** Danny **

****

Danny chuckled weakly at Carmilla’s response, choosing to ignore the woman’s question in favor of snuggling closer to the vampire now carrying her, a slight shiver going down her spine as she caught the scent of old books, ink, and blood mingling together. It didn’t even register to her that she probably shouldn’t be able to smell that, or register what each scent was. She was far too gone with shock and blood loss. Glancing up at the woman holding her once more, she let out a soft sigh as she saw Carmilla starting to pull her emotions back under lock and key. She would think about Carmilla and her reluctance to show emotion another time. For now, she would worry about the fire in her veins that seemed to slowly spread through her body, leaving pure agony in its wake. That or just pass out from the pain…yep, passing out seemed nice. “S…Sorry…kitty…” She slurred out as her vision dimmed once more, her head lolling to the side limply as she passed out.

 

 

** Carmilla **

****

Carmilla felt her heart drop at Danny’s words, panic once again spreading across her features as she felt the woman’s body go completely limp in her arms. If it hadn’t been for the faint heartbeat she could hear, she might have completely lost herself to the grief and panic when the woman went limp. “Gingersnap…Red. C’mon, don’t do this to me. Fuck…Danny! Don’t go to sleep on me!” She cried out as she tightened her grip on the redhead, leaning forward into her run to speed up. She could hear the bustle of the town now, she was close, and the hospital was nearly in view. “Just a few more minutes Red. Just a few more minutes and we’ll be at the hospital. You’ll be fine, you have to be.” She murmured, mostly to herself as she slowed down to a human pace, putting on a grimace of exertion  as she burst through the doors to the ER, screaming for help. It would do no good to have the humans asking questions about her speed and strength instead of paying attention to Danny.

Once Danny was on a gurney and being wheeled off to surgery, Carmilla allowed herself to collapse bonelessly into a nearby chair, burying her head in her hands as she trembled. It was going to be a very long night.


	3. Sometimes The Little Things Help The Most

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strangely, the threat felt like anything but a threat to Danny, warming her heart and causing her to smile slightly as she cautiously laced her fingers with Carmilla’s. Perhaps just for the night she could pretend that Carmilla felt the same way about her as she felt for the broody vampire. What she didn’t catch, was Carmilla’s eye cracking open for a moment before a soft, genuine smile crossed her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter for my lovely Creampuffs! Sorry it took so long. Enjoy!

 

 

 

**Carmilla**

 

Carmilla bit back a sigh for what seemed like the thousandth time, slowly repeating the story she’d fabricated on the fly to the doctor before her. “She went out for a walk in the woods sir. I was out and about myself doing a bit of tracking when I heard her scream. I’m lucky I was near my truck when it happened; I grabbed my gun and some bear spray and went after her. I found her on the ground with a rabid wolf over her so I fired off a few warning shots at a nearby tree. Thankfully, the stupid mutt took off, so I bandaged her up, threw her in my truck and drove here.” She said, thanking her lucky stars she’d had years upon years to learn how to lie without a tell giving her away.

“And you’re sure it was a wolf…?” Mr. “I’m a doctor so I know better than you” asked, staring her down with a rather condescending look.

“Yesss.” She all but hissed out, gritting her teeth. “I’ve been hunting for years, and tracking just as long. I know a Canis Lupus when I see one.” She bit out, trying to keep calm. “I’m also quite sure it was rabid, considering the large amounts of froth covering its muzzle and the bloodshot eyes.”

“Right. I suppose we’ll have to add on an order for rabies shots…just in case.” The pompous doctor said before walking away as he marked a few things down on his chart, not paying any mind to Carmilla any longer.

Carmilla’s jaw dropped at this, a potent mix of fury and helplessness settling over her as the doctor who she’d originally gone up to, to ask if Danny was alright, walked away without answering her original question at all. Apparently her lost, and if she heard the nurses on duty correctly, kicked puppy look finally won her the pity of one of said nurses and the young woman came over to ask her if there was anything she needed.

“I…my friend, Danny…she’s…she’s been in surgery for over an hour, at least…” She rambled to the nurse, her cheeks flushing slightly as she realized she’d pulled a Laura of all things. Vampires do NOT ramble…and their voices certainly don’t crack and wobble with emotion…! “That ASSHOLE of a doctor completely blew me off and didn’t tell me anything…!” She hissed out as she looked up at the nurse who now had a sickeningly sympathetic look on her features.

“Oh don’t worry honey, we all secretly hate that prick. Thinks he’s god’s given gift to the medical field. Now, why don’t you sit down and try and relax a bit. I’ll have Alexa run down to the gift shop and get you some sweats and a tee to change into since you’re a bit…bloody….and I’ll look your friend up in the database, ok?” The young nurse said with a slight smile as she took in Carmilla’s flustered, windswept look and utterly blood soaked wardrobe. “What’s her full name dear?”

Carmilla slowly nodded in agreement, looking down at her ruined t-shirt. “I…yeah…new clothes would be good.” She muttered, her nostrils flaring slightly from the overwhelming scent of blood. She wasn’t starving by any means…but she was starting to get hungry with the scent clinging to her for so long. “Daniella…Daniella Lawrence. I…never managed to pry her middle name out of her though.” She said as she shuffled back towards the chair she’d previously been slumped over in.

 

 

 

** Danny **

 

Danny woke up in pain. So, so much pain. Her shoulder throbbed with every little twitch, her arms not fairing much better…and her senses were on complete overload. The lights above her were too bright, she could see every little dot and imperfection on the ceiling. She could hear someone to her left breathing slowly and steadily, sleeping…? Their heartbeat was faint, and strangely erratic, almost drowned out by the rest of the sounds invading her room: footsteps in the hallway, hushed conversations, someone wailing down the hall. Inhaling deeply, mostly on instinct, she tried to see if maybe the stranger’s scent might give away who was sleeping beside her. The scent of old books, ink, and blood hit her nose before a rush of other scents slammed into her, making her cringe. The scent of antiseptics and cleaning supplies was unusually sharp to her nose, causing it to wrinkle as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. After a few moments of silently cursing every deity she could think of, she finally managed to push aside the discomfort of her senses being overloaded, only to be hit head on with the feeling of fire coursing through her veins. Panic quickly overtook her as the burning sensation grew worse, flashbacks to her nightmare starting to run rampant in her mind. The flames slowly crawling up her limbs, burning her alive with no one to save her this time, no one to keep the fire away from her.

She barely even registered the frantic beeping of a heart monitor, or panicked voices around her as her back arched off of the sterile bed like a taunt bow, a raw, nearly primal scream tearing from her lips. Her breath was coming in short gasps, eyes wide and unseeing as she thrashed about in the bed, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks. She wasn’t sure if her screams were even coherent by this point, or just broken half-words between cries of pain and fear. Everything else around her was slowly fading away, leaving only the burning behind.

And then suddenly…it all slammed back in to focus with the force of a semi. A cool touch on her burning hand and everything snapped back into place like elastic. Sounds came rushing back, although she barely paid attention to most of them, focusing solely on a soft, raspy voice cooing to her. Scents flooded her nose, but all seemed insignificant compared to the oh so familiar scent of old books, ink, and a hint of blood. Slowly, the cool touch slid up her upper arm, a soft whimper escaping her lips as her body collapsed like a puppet with cut strings. The hellish images in her mind faded away, her wild heartbeat slowly calmed, and her gaze slowly unclouded and focused in on the source of her comfort.

“Easy Gingersnap…you’re alright. The wolf is gone, you’re safe.” The soothing voice murmured, followed by another gentle rub of her arm.

Gingersnap…where had she heard that before…? And why did it make her heart both flutter and clench. Well, whoever this woman was, she seemed to care for her, so maybe she could help with the pain…? “H…hurts…” She managed to rasp out between whimpers. “M…make it…s-stop…!”

By this point, her vision was mostly back, leaving her with a slightly blurry view of her mysterious woman. A pale skinned beauty with blood red lips wearing a loose fitting pair of black sweatpants and a matching tee. The woman’s ebony curls were done up in a messy bun, and concern was clear on her flawless features. At her words, the painfully familiar beauty offered her a slight smile and a nod. “I know it does Red. Give the doctors a few minutes and I’m sure they’ll get you something for the pain. You gave us all a right scare with the way you woke up.”

Danny slowly nodded, her brow furrowing and eyes closing as she tried to remember where she was, and why she was in pain. Suddenly, something clicked in her mind; the woman’s comment about the wolf being gone. Danny’s world exploded into pain once more, a ragged gasp escaping her lips as memories came rushing back to her; seeing Laura off for the summer, the nightmare, going for a walk in the woods, the rabid wolf… _Carmilla._ “C-carm…!” She whimpered out, her eyes flying open once more as her gaze settled on the broody vampire at her bedside.

 

 

 

  **Carmilla**

 

Carmilla let out a soft sigh of relief as she stepped out of the bathroom in the offered clothing, her blood covered clothes now safely in a bag for her to take back to the university and wash. Looking over at the nurse’s station, the young woman who had helped her earlier caught her eye and waved her over, handing her a slip of paper with a room number on it and mouthing the word ‘go’ before going back to her phone call.

Swallowing a lump in her throat she didn’t realize she’d had, she took off in the direction of the recovery suites, shakily opening the door once she had the ok of the nurse on duty. She was met with the smell of antiseptic, and the sight of a very pale Danny lying motionless in the bed at the center of the room, her left shoulder fully bandaged, left arm in a soft cast, and right arm bandaged tightly. The methodic beeping of the heart monitor filled the painfully quiet room, along with the shallow breaths of her secret crush.

Slipping into the room, she let the door close behind her as she made her way to the bed, letting out a shaky breath as she gently took Danny’s hand in her own, running her thumb across the woman’s knuckles. “I’m glad you’re alright…you lucky idiot.” She murmured softly, taking a few more minutes to shamelessly stare down at the object of her affections before moving to the small sofa in the room, putting her hair up in a messy bun before settling down to get a bit of rest, her adrenaline crashing after a night of craziness.

A few hours later, she was ripped from her sleep by the heart monitor going wild and a primal scream piercing the air. Leaping off of the sofa like a startled cat, she watched as doctors poured into the room, fussing over Danny and putting sedatives in her IV line. She could barely make it out through all the screaming, but she thought she heard Danny begging for someone to stop the burning, a thought that chilled her to the bone. Straightening up, she rushed to Danny’s bedside, shooting a venomous glare towards anyone that tried to shove her away as she moved to place her hand on Danny’s, hiding a wince as she felt just how hot the woman’s skin was to the touch. “Danny. Come on Red, snap out of it. You’re safe.” She murmured softly, her shoulders sagging with relief as Danny’s body froze before dropping back to the bed, shaking and trembling slightly, but no longer thrashing and arching off of the bed as it had been.

When Danny’s feverish gaze focused in on her, she spoke once again, gently rubbing her cool hand over Danny’s right upper arm. “Easy Gingersnap…you’re alright. The wolf is gone, you’re safe.” She said softly as she watched Danny slowly relax under her touch.

“H…hurts…M…make it…s-stop…!”

The pained whimper snapped her out of her thoughts; a sad smile crossing her features as she lightly squeezed Danny’s hand. “I know it does Red. Give the doctors a few minutes and I’m sure they’ll get you something for the pain. You gave us all a right scare with the way you woke up.” She said as she glanced over at the two doctors in the room, silently threatening them to kick their asses into gear and get some pain meds for the suffering woman. Once she was sure they were working on getting some morphine for Danny, she went back to staring fondly at her crush, a slight bit of worry seeping back into her expression as she watched Danny’s face go from confused to pained and fearful.

“C-carm…!” Came the frightened response moments later, prompting Carmilla to lean in and gently brush away a few strands of rich copper hair from the woman’s sweat covered forehead.

“Yeah, I know. I look like crap Red, no need to rub my face in it.” She said sarcastically, although it lacked its usual biting tone. “Just relax, ok…? We can talk more in the morning. I’m exhausted after dragging your sorry ass all the way here.” She said with a slight smirk before turning to head back to the sofa, pausing mid step at the pitiful whimper that left Danny’s lips as soon as she let go of the woman’s hand.

 

 

 

** Danny **

 

Danny felt her cheeks flush as Carmilla leaned in to brush her hair aside in an uncharacteristically gentle move, her heartbeat speeding up slightly as the scent she’d come to associate with comfort washed over her.

“Yeah, I know. I look like crap Red, no need to rub my face in it.”

Danny wanted to protest that statement valiantly, a fact that surprised her greatly. Maybe it was the morphine the doctors had just put in her IV, but if her voice wasn’t completely gone from screaming so much, she was sure she would have blurted out that Carmilla was insane to think such a thing, and that the woman was even more radiant then ever standing there in her sweats with a few stray curls tumbling out of her messy bun. Yup…totally just the morphine talking.

“Just relax, ok…? We can talk more in the morning. I’m exhausted after dragging your sorry ass all the way here.”

Ok, wow. Elvira, Mistress of the Snark was back with a vengeance it seemed. And Danny’s brain was getting rather fuzzy, fuzzy and floaty. Boy was she glad her voice was gone so she couldn’t pull a Laura and ramble on about every little thought that popped into her brain. Her train of thought was immediately derailed as she felt the woman’s cool touch leave her, a pitiful whimper escaping her lips as she watched the woman start to walk away. When Carmilla only paused for a moment before continuing on her way, Danny felt her eyes water, quickly closing them as she silently cursed the morphine running through her system. She didn’t want the snarky vampire to leave, to take away that cool touch that was keeping her grounded.

A few moments later a grunt and a muffled curse snapped her out of her downward spiral, her eyes fluttering open as she turned her head towards the source. Her heart skipped a beat as she found Carmilla trying to maneuver the recliner chair towards the hospital bed, despite the obvious makeshift bed on the couch by the window. Once the chair was in place, Carmilla transferred her pillow and blankets to it before settling down in it as best she could, muttering halfheartedly under her breath as she placed her hand back on top of Danny’s. “Oh the lengths I go for friends…Bah…Laura’s rubbing off on me more than I thought.” The broody vampire turned to fix Danny with a decidedly weak glare. “You mention this to anyone and I’ll feed you your spleen on a silver platter Gingersnap….” Carmilla threatened halfheartedly before yawning, her eyes quickly drifting shut as she lost the battle with sleep.

Strangely, the threat felt like anything but a threat to Danny, warming her heart and causing her to smile slightly as she cautiously laced her fingers with Carmilla’s. Perhaps just for the night she could pretend that Carmilla felt the same way about her as she felt for the broody vampire. What she didn’t catch, was Carmilla’s eye cracking open for a moment before a soft, genuine smile crossed her lips.

 


	4. Oh The Things You Do For Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When reality finally decided to grace Danny with it's presence once more, Danny wasn't quite sure if she wanted to thank it, or curse it to hell and back...and possibly into Lophii's stomach. Everything. Hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, ok, so I hit quite the bump in the road called life last year. I can't believe it's been a year since I wrote this. Anywho, I watched seasons zero, three, and the movie trailer and suddenly my muse was back! So sorry for the horrendously long delay my little creampuffs, I will try and post regularly if I can.

 

 

**Danny **

 

When reality finally decided to grace Danny with it's presence once more, Danny wasn't quite sure if she wanted to thank it, or curse it to hell and back...and possibly into Lophii's stomach. Everything. Hurt. It wasn't just the burning in her veins, which by the way was still going strong! No, she also had a bone deep ache from head to toe, joints that felt like each movement was slowly grinding both ends to dust, wounds that thrummed with pain and heat to the beat of her pulse, an ache in her jaws that brought tears to her eyes, a nose that felt so painfully raw she was surprised it wasn't gushing blood, ears that were ringing with far too much sound to be normal (accompanied with sharp, stabbing pains), and eyes that felt like the light it's self was slow roasting them over an open fire like marshmallows...pointy campfire stick and all. All that she could manage to do upon waking up to that _lovely_ sensory overload was stay still as a statue and let out the most pitiful of whines.

On the plus side, however tiny it was, upon waking up her poor nose picked up on one little fact that made all the pain she had to deal with while conscious worth it. Her room was _saturated_ in Carmilla's scent. It blocked out everything else, miraculously including the burning smell of hospital chemicals, and made the sensory overload just a tiny bit more manageable. Hell, if she didn't know any better, she would have thought that Carmilla had spent most of the night....or however long she'd been out, scent marking the room like the giant cat she was.

 

 

**Carmilla**

 

Carmilla didn't stay asleep long, much to her chagrin. Maybe four hours tops before her blissful state of nothing was rudely invaded by a whimper. And then another. And another. And then a wheezing cry. Groaning, she cracked an eye open and scanned the room, worry seeping into her chest at the sight of a very much out of it -and very much in pain- Danny writhing about in her hospital bed. Worry soon turned abruptly to fear as the scent of fresh blood hit the air. Dark brown eyes darted about frantically until they landed on the source, a trickle of crimson running down over Danny's lips from her nose. That, followed by the frenzied, almost incoherent mumblings of 'Too much, too much, burning, make it stop...!' made everything click into place for the now horrified Carmilla. That attack had forever changed her secretly beloved Gingersnap, and not just because of any mental trauma or physical scarring. No...that rabid werewolf had left behind it's venom, irrevocably throwing Danny's life onto a new path. One fraught with many obstacles, an abundance of fear, and many of the same insecurities that Carmilla always struggled with. Her lovable giant puppy was now an _actual_ puppy, albeit a puppy that could rip someone limb from limb in seconds and was perceived as a monster by the general populous.

Another whimper snapped Carmilla out of her horrified daze and sent her into action. Danny's sense of smell was being upgraded by the curse, and apparently overloading due to the harsh myriad of smells the hospital had to offer. Picking up a few tissues, she leaned over the bed, setting to work gently wiping away the blood from Danny's lips and nose. The moment her hand invaded Danny's personal space however, something strange happened. Danny's nostrils flared for a moment before the whimpering began to lessen and the woman's writhing body settled down a bit. Pulling her hand away, Carmilla watched in a mixture of morbid curiosity and confusion as the whimpering picked right back up where it left off, as did the writhing and bleeding. Hand in, Danny settles, hand out, back to square one. After a few more experimental air pokes, Carmilla tried something different. Grabbing the blanket she'd been sleeping with, she settled it over Danny's form before fleeing to the other side of the room. Danny settled almost immediately as the blanket came down around her, the displacement of air bringing a huge gust of Carmilla's scent straight to her nose. When the disturbance settled, the whimpering started back up again, but the bleeding and writhing did not. Clearly her scent helped to block out what ever was overloading Danny, but it needed to be ridiculously close to the woman's nose to do any good. Unless....

Four hours, and many odd looks and close calls later, Carmilla flopped down into the recliner next to Danny's bed and let out a tired groan. The things she did for that big, fluffy lug... She'd just spent hours on end in her panther form, rubbing herself over every single inch of the damn room that she could, all the while evading the nurses when ever they came in to check on Danny by morphing back mid rub when ever she heard the door handle twist. Yeah, it was awkward as fuck to have a nurse walk in while you're on your hands and knees under a table. The feeble excuse of a missing contact held up the first few times since they were spaced so close together, but she couldn't use that excuse for _hours,_ and so the excuses got weirder, and the looks got odder. First a dropped pen, then her phone, her necklace (which she forgot she was still wearing...), then an earring -despite her not having any in-...after the second hour she heard one of the nurses warning the next shift that she was sleep deprived and to just smile and nod before ignoring her. She was never going to live down the embarrassment, but...at least Danny had settled back down into a deep sleep.

A day later, Carmilla was pacing back and fourth just outside Danny's room, her phone held up against her ear as she worried her lip between her teeth. Danny, while not writhing about in pain like before, still hadn't woken up after her initial heart-wrenching wake up. While that made her restless beyond belief, she had to let their friends know what happened. They had a right to know that Danny was in the hospital, they had a right to-

If she hadn't been a vampire, she never would have picked up on the nearly silent whine coming from inside the room, but she did, and in a flash she rambled out an excuse to Laura's voicemail, ended the call, and raced back into the room to Danny's side. "Hey Gingersnap...finally back in the land of the living, huh?" She asked quietly just in case Danny's hearing had undergone a revamp as well. When Danny didn't move, or make any indication that she'd heard Carmilla, the vampire's heart plummeted in her chest. "Danny...? I need some sort of sign that you can here me..." Carmilla said, a hint of desperation leaking into her tone as she lightly touched Danny's feverish skin, fingertips tracing lightly over a tense hand.

 

 

**Danny**

 

Danny idly noted that Carmilla's scent was getting stronger through the haze of pain she was stuck in, a soft voice cutting through the painful din of noise buzzing in her ears. It was soothing, but she couldn't separate it from the rest of the noise enough to hear what was being said. Everything was scrambled up in her mind, and starting to add a blinding headache on top of everything else she was feeling. Suddenly, the cool, grounding touch from before was back, ghosting along her uninjured hand, and then everything snapped back into place so fast it nearly gave her mental whiplash. All of her senses were now focused on the touch, an by proxy, the person touching her. Old books, ink, and blood. _**MATE!**_ Wait what...?

"Danny...? I need some sort of sign that you can here me..." Came a sultry smooth voice Danny was all too familiar with, each quiet word sliding over her like a lover's caress. _Carmi- **MATE!**_ Jesus! What the hell was that? Shoving the creepy voice in the back of her head aside for now, she focused on letting Carmilla know she could hear her without setting off any more pain receptors. Finally she settled on letting out a slightly louder whine and letting her eyelids flutter slightly. There. Point across, eyeballs saved from being skewered by the evil light, and the rest of her body still immobile to lessen the pain.

 

 

** Carmilla **

 

Carmilla was just about to give up hope and call in a doctor when she heard the whine, and caught the flutter out of the corner of her eye, her treacherous heart doing a few flips as she slowly encased Danny's hand in her own. The woman seemed to respond most to her cold touch, as if it was grounding her, so why not indulge the ginger...? It totally had nothing to do with grounding her own panicking mind and heart. Nope. Not at all.

"Answer yes with a whine and no with silence. Do you understand...?" She asked, holding a breath she didn't need until a soft whine broke the silence. Shoulders slumping with relief, Carmilla quickly cleared her throat. "If you wanted to, could you move your body...?" A soft whine. "So this isn't a complete shut down of your body." Silence. "Is...is it pain?" A pause, and then an almost guilty sounding whine. If...whines could sound like different emotions. "Do you want me to get a doctor so you can get some more morphine...?" A barely audible, reluctant whine.

"Alright, hang in there Gingersnap, someone will be here in a moment." Carmilla murmured, pressing the call button and settling down by Danny's side to wait, her hand still gently cradling Danny's in a soothing grip. "Just hang in there a little bit longer...The pain will go away soon, and when it does...I'll explain why your senses are going haywire." She said softly, dread pooling in her gut at the thought of telling Danny that her life as a human was now over. What would her family think...? Would they accept her? Family was a touchy subject when it came to Danny, so she knew absolutely nothing about Danny's, and that worried her. She couldn't predict how they would react to the news that Danny was now supernatural, and if she couldn't predict how they would react, then she couldn't protect her Gingersnap from the fall out, the heartbreak, the self loathing...

Shaking her head, Carmilla let out a soft sigh, watching warily as a nurse bustled in with a dose of morphine, placing it directly into Danny's IV and sending the big puppy off into dream land with a shot of a sedative as well. "Sleep well Xena, you're gonna need it." She said softly once the nurse left, settling down in the recliner a bit more so she could continue to hold Danny's hand. Purely to keep the woman from waking her up with her incessant whining! Really! No ulterior motives! She totally didn't want to hold Danny's hand just so she could feel the woman's calloused palm against her fingertips, or the reassuringly strong pulse thrumming beneath feverishly hot skin. Nope.

With one last glance towards the slumbering object of her hidden affections, she let the tension slide out of her body and her eyes slip shut, oblivion soon consuming her.


End file.
